Elevated and confined floor area apparatus for the care of invalids and small children

ABSTRACT

A modulate elevated floor apparatus for erection is any size room with a peripheral walkway for the purpose of attending infants, small children or invalids without ending over to room floor level, is described. A peripheral guard fence and rail confines children or invalids being cared for to the elevated floor area. Trap door means is provided in the elevated flooring to permit an attendant access to a central zone of the elevated flooring to attend to matters that cannor be reached from the peripheral walkway. Means is also provided for sub-dividing the elevated floor area into crib-like compartments for separately confining infants or small children whenever necessary or desirable.

United States Patent [151 3,703,734 Carr [45] Nov. 28, 1972 ELEVATED ANDCONFINED FLOOR 3,565,212 2/1971 Johnson ..182/179 AREA APPARATUS FOR THECARE OF 2,689,960 9/1954 Lax ..5/ 100 X INVALID AND SMA CHILDREN 819,2415/1906 Moore ..-....5/90 1,399,390 12 1921 K1 ..52 239 X 72 Inventor:Lottie Mae Carr, P. 0. Box 41362, em I Miami 30331 Primary Examiner-Casmir A. Nunberg 221 Filed: March 26, 1971 Arrow-Ernest Schmidt [21]App]. No.: 128,261 57 ABSTRACT A modulate elevated floor apparatus forerection is [52] US. Cl. ..5/99 R, 5/92 any size room with a peripheralwalkway for the pur- Il'lt- ..A47S pose of attending mall children orinvalids [58] Field of Sear ch. 5 /2, without ending over to room floorlevel, is described. 182/82, 128, 152, 179; 108/60, 114; 52/27, Aperipheral guard fence and rail confines children or 173, 236-239;256/26; 211/123 invalids being cared for to the elevated floor area.Trap door means is provided in the elevated flooring 5 References Citedto permit an attendant access to a central zone of the elevated flooringto attend to matters that cannot be UNlTED STATES PATENTS reached fromthe peripheral walkway. Means is also 3,086,256 4/1963 j Schieber, Jr...182/152 F f Subdmdmg the elevated F 9 2 059 240 1 1,1936 Johnston 5 ll00 crib-like compartments for separately confining 1n- 2,205,452 6/1940Wright...; ..5/99 c {32 or Small children whenever necessary or degra-2,569,937 lO/l951 Lindgren.... .5/99 R 1,380,074 5/1921 Myers ..182/1285 Claim, 5 Drawing Figures ELEVATED AND CONFINED FLOOR AREA APPARATUSFOR THE CARE OF INVALIDS AND SMALL CHILDREN This invention relates to.nursery and child care equipment and is directed particularly to anelevated and peripherally confined floor structure of adjustable size tofit, with a surrounding walkway, into any size room to permit attendantsto conveniently walk around the device in caring for small children orinvalids without fatigue due to excessive bending at the waist.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a device of thecharacter described that is of modular construction so as to be readilyadaptable for installation in any size room.

A more particular object of the invention is to provide an elevatedfloor device of the above nature the elevated floor area of which canreadily be sub-divided into crib-sized compartments for the individualcare of a plurality of small children or invalids.

A more particular object of the invention is to provide an elevatedfloor device of the above nature wherein the flooring or base comprisesa plurality of elongated members of expanded metal hinged together alongtheir lengths, the numberthereof being determined by the size of theroom in which the device is to be installed. 7

Yet another object of the invention is to provide an elevated floordevice of the above nature including trap door means in the center ofthe flooring permitting an attendant to take a position substantially atthe center for attending small children or invalids not reachable fromthe outer periphery or walkway around the device, and for caring for thefloor area, such as cleaning etc., as may be necessary from time totime.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an elevated floordevice of the above nature, which besides being well suited for homeuse, is well adapted to use in the larger sizes in childrens nurseries,in churches, hospitals, day care centers and the like.

Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparentfrom the following description when read with reference to theaccompanying drawings. In the drawings,'wherein like reference numeralsdenote corresponding parts throughout the several views:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view, with a portion of the floor mat broken awayto reveal constructional details, of an elevated and confined floor areaapparatus embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is an elevational view as seen from the front of the apparatus,taken along the line 22 of FIG. 1 in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 3 is a transverse cross-sectional view taken along the line 3-3 ofFIG. 1 in the direction of the arrows and illustrating details of thetrap door mechanism;

FIG. 4 is a transverse cross-sectional view taken along the line 4-4 ofFIG. 1, in the direction of the arrows and illustrating details of thetoilet chamber mechanism; and

FIG. 5 is a transverse cross-sectional view taken along the line 5--5 ofFIG. 1, in the direction of the arrows and illustrating, typically, howthe expanded metal flooring connects with the upright posts comprisingthe confining fence walls.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, reference numeral 10designates, generally, an elevated and confined floor apparatusembodying the invention, the same comprising a plurality of floor stripmembers 11, preferably fabricated of expanded sheet metal for strengthwith lightness in weight. The expanded metal floor strip members 11,because of their multiplicity of through openings, provide for the freeflow of ventilating air.

Means is provided for hingingly interconnecting the floor strip members11 along their lengths. To this end, they are each formed withdownwardly directed, spaced hinge loops 12 along one. side andlongitudinally off-set downwardly directed, spaced hinge loop 13 at theother side. The facing hinge loops 12, 13 of adjacent pairs of the floorstrip members 11 are intermeshed to receive elongated hinge rods 14 uponassembly of the flooring. It will be understood that the number of floorstrip members 11 used in the assembly, and their length, will be chosento fit centrally within the room in which the device is to be installedwith peripheral spacing from the room walls of about 18 to 24 inches toprovide a walkway for attendants or nurses taking care of young childrenplaced within the confines of the elevated flooring.

As means for supporting the flooring of assembled floor strip members 11above the room floor F, peripheral edge zones thereof are provided witha plurality of spaced folding legs 15 pivotally supported at their upperend with respect to brackets 16. Each of the folding legs 15 is providedwith a collapsable link brace mechanism 17 for foldably retaining thelegs 15 in downwardly extending support relation. Additional legs 15(not illustrated) could also be fitted inwardly of the peripheral edgesfor additional floor support if necessary.

As additional sideward support means for the flooring, the undersidethereof, about the periphery, is fitted with a plurality of spacedsocket members 18 having perpendicularly outwardly extending throughopenings 19 slidably received within which are lateral support rods orbraces 20. The wall support rods or braces 20, near their outer ends,are fitted with sidewardly outwardly extending handles 21 facilitatingmanual in and out movement of said braces with respect to their socketmembers 18. A plurality of wall sockets 22, one for each of the slidesupport braces 20, are affixed against side wall portions of the roomwalls W in which the apparatus is installed in register, one each, withthe support braces 20. The wall sockets 22 are provided with outwardlyextending bores 22a adapted to receive outer end portions of theirrespective support braces 20 when moved to their outermost positions bymeans of the brace handles 21, as best illustrated in FIG. 1. In

order for an attendant entering the room through a As a confining meansfor the above described flooring, a peripheral fence wall 23 isprovided, said wall comprising spaced vertical posts 24 the upper endsof which are connected by a top rail 25. As best illustrated in FIG. 5,by way of example, the lower ends'of the posts 24 are affixed inupstanding relation with respect to the flooring such as by means oflarge staples 26. Whereas FIG. illustrates a wall section through a wallpartition 23a running along a hinged portion of the flooring, so thatthe staple 26 as illustrated in FIG. 5 can pass in hooking engagementover the associated hinge rod 14, it will be understood that in otherzones of interconnection the legs of staples 26 can readily be passedthrough adjacent openings in the expanded metal floor strip members foranchoring posts 24 in place.

Means is provided for enabling an attendant to station herself centrallywithin the elevated floor apparatus for attending children or otherwiseperforming tasks which cannot be readily accomplished from theperipheral walkway surrounding the apparatus. To this end, a rectangularopening 27 is provided in one of the central floor strip members 11,centrally along its length. Angular guide channel members 28 at eachside of the rectangular opening 27 and affixed against the underside ofthe associated fioor strip member 11 slidingly support therebetween atrap door 29 movable between open and closed positions with respect tosaid rectangular opening.

The outside floor strip member 11 adjacent the room for opening D isprovided with a circular toilet chamber opening 30. Guide channelmembers 31 fixed against the underside of the floor strip member 11 ateach side of the chamber opening 30 provide means for slidinglyreceiving a chamber pot 32 normally to be disposed directly below saidchamber opening. As best illustrated in FIG. 4 the guide channel members31 provide opposed support ledge means for slidably supporting oppositezones of an outwardly extending peripheral flange 33 at the upper end ofthe chamber pot 32. A transverse rectangular leg opening 34 is providedin the front floor strip member 11 in slightly spaced relation withrespect to the chamber opening 30 for the through passage of a childslegs when using the toilet chamberpot 32. Floor opening cover members,not illustrated, are provided for closing off the openings 30 and 34when not in use.

A wall fence gate section 35 is provided in the front section of theperipheral fence 23 to permit ready access of an attendant to the toiletfacilities provided by the above described toilet chamber opening 30 andleg opening 34. Preferably, the wall fence gate section 35 will belocated near the doorway D of the room in which the apparatus isinstalled, as is best illustrated in FIG. 1. As illustrated in FIGS. 1,2 and 4, angular upper and lower guide channel members 36 and 37 areprovided which slidingly support the wall gate section 35 for movementbetween open and closed relation with respect to a gate opening 38provided in the front section of the peripheral fence wall 23.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, means is provided for fencing off one or morecrib sections within the confines of the peripheral fence wall 23 toseparately accommodate infants or small children for sleeping, forexample. Five such crib-like compartments are illustrated in FIG. 1,designated by reference numerals 39 through 43. To this end,longitudinal and transverse fence sec tions 44 and 45, respectively, areprovided for connection at their lower ends to the floor strip members 11 in the same manner as the peripheral fence wall 23 as described aboveand as illustrated in FIG. 5, for example. Any convenient manner can beused to join the fence wall compartment sections 44 and 45 in abuttingrelation.

As partially illustrated in FIG. 1, the flooring comprising the floorstrip members 11 will be fitted with a resilient mat, preferably of foamrubber, which mat will be covered by a water-proof material. Cut out matsections will be provided for the trap door, toilet chamber and legopenings, (not illustrated), which will be retained in place such as bythe use of snap fasteners when said openings are not in use. Individualmats will also be provided for the crib compartments 39 through 43.Preferably, the size of the crib compartments 39 through 43 will be 2' X4' and the overall width and length of the apparatus will be inmultiples of said crib compartment widths and lengths to accommodate thegreatest number thereof.

It is to be understood that while my invention is particularly wellsuited for the care of invalids, particularly small child invalids inthe home, it is also well suited to i use, in larger sizes, as a nurseryfor babies or infants and thus has particular application for use inchild care centers, hospitals, churches during services, and the like.

A salient feature of my invention resides in the fact that its modularconstruction permits ready adaptability to a wide variety of rectangularshapes and sizes of rooms, whether in the home or in public institutionsor facilities.

Another important advantage of the invention is that it enables amother, nurse or attendant to take care of invalids, small children orinfants with a minimum of effort and fatigue due to bending over.

Another advantage resides in the fact that, even with the use of a largeelevated floor area, an attendant can readily position herself upwardlythrough the trap door opening at a position near the center of the floorto take care of any matters that need attention.

While I have illustrated and described herein only one form in which myinvention can conveniently be embodied in practice, it is to beunderstood that this form is given by way of example only, and not in alimiting sense. The invention, in brief, comprises all the embodimentsand modifications coming within the scope and spirit of the followingclaims.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An elevated and confined floor apparatus for the care of invalids andsmall children comprising, in combination, a rectangular floorstructure, means for supporting said floor structure in spaced,parallel, elevated relation with respect to a room floor, a fence wallextending upwardly about the periphery of said floor structure, gatemeans in said fence wall providing access through said fence wall forattending children confined on said floor structure, said rectangularfloor structure comprising a plurality of rectangular expanded sheetmetal floor strip members, means for disconnectably connecting saidfloor members along longitudinal abutting edge portions thereof, saidconnecting means comprising a plurality of spaced hinged loops formedalong longitudinal edge portions of said floor strip members, elongatedhinge rods receivable through interfittingly engaged hinge loops ofadjacent ones of said floor strip members, said floor structuresupporting means comprising a plurality of folding legs peripherallyspaced about and extending downwardly with respect to said rectangularfloor structure, and means for sidewardly supporting said flooring whenerected in elevated relation with respect to the floor of a rectangularroom, said means for sidewardly supporting said flooring comprising aplurality of brace rods peripherally arranged about the underside ofsaid floor structure, and a telescoping socket member for each of saidbrace rods affixed to the underside of said floor structure andconstraining their respective brace rods to sidewardly perpendicular inand out movement.

2. An elevated and confined floor apparatus for the care of invalids andsmall children as defined in claim 1, wherein said means for sidewardlysupporting said flooring further comprises a wall socket for each ofsaid brace rods adapted to be secured against side wall portion of theroom in which the apparatus is to be installed, said wall sockets eachcomprising sidewardly outwardly extending recesses operative to receiveone each of the outer ends of said brace rods.

3. An elevated and confined floor apparatus for the care of invalids andsmall children as defined in claim 2, including an opening in one ofsaid floor strip members of sufficient size to permit passagetherethrough of the upper portion of a human attendant, and sliding trapdoor means for closing said opening. I

4. An elevated and confined floor apparatus for the care of invalids andsmall children as defined in claim 3, including a second opening in oneof said floor strip members, means for removably attaching a chamber potunder said second opening, and a third opening in said last mentionedfloor strip member in closely spaced relation with respect to saidsecond opening for UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTIONPatent NO. 3,7 3,711. 7 Dated November 28, 1972 Lottie Mae CarrInventor(s) It is certified that error appears in the above-identifiedpatent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

The address of the inventor ."Lottie Mae Carr" should read P. O. Boxb.1362, BenHill Station, Atlanta, Georgia 30331 Signed and sealed this8th day of May 1973.

(SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD M.FLETCHER, JR. v ROBERT (.TQT'I'SGHALK Attesting OfficerCommissioner of Patents FORM PO1O50 USCOMM-DC 60376-P69 Q U.S.GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE t '969 0"395334,

1. An elevated and confined floor apparatus for the care of invalids andsmall children comprising, in combination, a rectangular floorstructure, means for supporting said floor structure in spaced,parallel, elevated relation with respect to a room floor, a fence wallextending upwardly about the periphery of said floor structure, gatemeans in said fence wall providing access through said fence wall forattending children confined on said floor structure, said rectangularfloor structure comprising a plurality of rectangular expanded sheetmetal floor strip members, means for disconnectably connecting saidfloor members along longitudinal abutting edge portions thereof, saidconnecting means comprising a plurality of spaced hinged loops formedalong longitudinal edge portions of said floor strip members, elongatedhinge rods receivable through interfittingly engaged hinge loops ofadjacent ones of said floor strip members, said floor structuresupporting means comprising a plurality of folding legs peripherallyspaced about and extending downwardly with respect to said rectangularfloor structure, and means for sidewardly supporting said flooring whenerected in elevated relation with respect to the floor of a rectangularroom, said means for sidewardly supporting said flooring comprising aplurality of brace rods peripherally arranged about the underside ofsaid floor structure, and a telescoping socket member for each of saidbrace rods affixed to the underside of said floor structure andconstraining their respective brace rods to sidewardly perpendicular inand out movement.
 2. An elevated and confined floor apparatus for thecare of invalids and small children as defined in claim 1, wherein saidmeans for sidewardly supporting said flooring further comprises a wallsocket for each of said brace rods adapted to be secured against sidewall portion of the room in which the apparatus is to be installed, saidwall sockets each comprising sidewardly outwardly extending receSsesoperative to receive one each of the outer ends of said brace rods. 3.An elevated and confined floor apparatus for the care of invalids andsmall children as defined in claim 2, including an opening in one ofsaid floor strip members of sufficient size to permit passagetherethrough of the upper portion of a human attendant, and sliding trapdoor means for closing said opening.
 4. An elevated and confined floorapparatus for the care of invalids and small children as defined inclaim 3, including a second opening in one of said floor strip members,means for removably attaching a chamber pot under said second opening,and a third opening in said last mentioned floor strip member in closelyspaced relation with respect to said second opening for the throughpassage of the legs of a child using said chamber pot, and a resilientmat covering said floor structure.
 5. An elevated and confined floorapparatus for the care of invalids and small children as defined inclaim 4, including a plurality of longitudinal fence sections and aplurality of transverse fence sections, and means for affixing saidlongitudinal and transverse fence sections in upstanding relation withrespect to said floor structure for sub-dividing the confined area ofsaid floor structure into a plurality of crib-like compartments.